Painful Loneliness
by animefan677
Summary: Ari never had anyone to lean on, will he finally get to experience something more than pain and loneliness? Sorry guys I suck at summaries, but I still hope you'll read my story, and this story has no Mari in it because they are related. This takes place in School's Out Forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Painful Loneliness: Chapter 1**

Ari's P.O.V.

I peered through my binoculars hoping that Max hadn't disappeared. I finally spotted her on a branch with a wide grin spread across her face. "Ah!" I cried in surprise, and dropped my now useless binoculars. When she noticed I had found her, she laughed and said, "So what plans do you have for me, dog boy?" I almost snapped at that remark, but I was too excited about my ingenious plan, that I knew would work. I sat on my branch as calm as I'd ever been. (That is, as an eraser)I looked at Max and calmly said, "Plans. I don't want to kill you. But I will if I have to. If you don't cooperate." Her face instantly changed from playful to serious. "Cooperate? This is _me_ you're talking to."

I could see where this was going, she was getting aggravated, well, all I had to do was convince her to go along with my plan, and I had already thought of that much, much earlier. I reached behind me and pulled out a large knife and held it tightly. Max looked at me intently watching my every move, and I knew I had gotten her attention with the knife. Then I said, "I'm going to ask you once, nicely. What happens after that is up to you." She looked at me obviously calculating the different outcomes, then finally said, "Uh, okay. Ask away." Finally, I couldn't wait to hear her answer, even though I was pretty sure I already knew what it would be. "You come with me. The two of us disappear. We never have to deal with Jeb and the whitecoats and everyone else again." Now I awaited her answer. I was sure she wouldn't refuse; after all I knew she wanted to stay away from the whitecoats and especially Jeb, and frankly, so do I. I mean how could I stay with Jeb when he left me to fend for myself! Plus since he was at the school, the place that I had been most of my life and the place that ruined my life, I didn't really care about leaving. The only real problem there was, at the moment I was kind of the leader of the erasers. They wouldn't be happy if they found out their leader dropped them for the bird girl they were after. Then Max spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts, "Disappear where?" "A place I know." I replied, eagerly awaiting her answer. "And I would be stuck there? With you as my guard? I have to tell you, this isn't among my top-ten offers." "Not as your guard. As your friend." I replied with high hopes. "You and me." I nodded. She paused obviously thinking it through. I couldn't wait, there was no way she would decline! Just to make sure she wouldn't refuse, I had to make it seem super exclusive. "Yes. This is your one chance." "Uh-huh." She replied, still thinking. Then finally after several tense seconds she said, "Ari, I can't leave the flock. Not for you, not for Jeb, not for anyone."

Wow, I did not see that coming. I almost fell from the branch I was sitting on. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. How could she refuse? Of course she always had to put the flock first. Why couldn't anyone show me a little care!

Max P.O.V.

Ari was visibly shaken, I don't know if it was from what I said but, it didn't seem like this happened often. And frankly, I didn't know erasers had feelings. Then I remembered when Ari was just a little innocent three year old. I looked back into his eyes and I saw pain and loneliness. And tears?! There was no way Ari would cry. I couldn't see him doing it. I had to go back to the flock, but I couldn't bring myself to get up, something was holding me back. "Um…Ari?" I asked not knowing if he would answer me.

Ari P.O.V.

I couldn't take this, I've just had too much disappointment in my life. I needed to leave before I totally lost it, but amazingly Max was still sitting across from me on her branch. Maybe if I left she would leave and forget any of this ever happened. Then I heard her unmistakable voice break the silence, "Um… Ari?" she asked. I looked up at her with my pathetically modified eyes. "I'm sorry, but I just can't desert the flock." She continued. I sighed. I shouldn't have had my hopes up so high. I looked at the knife in my hands. I can't believe I brought this.

Max P.O.V.

I heard a rustle and wondered if more erasers were coming. Ari had noticed too and we both looked in the direction that we heard the sound coming from. Then I saw, Fang?! He quickly came up defensively to me and looked at the knife Ari was holding. Oh crap.


	2. Chapter 2

Before we continue with the story I just want to thank Midnight-Rose4563 for reviewing my first chapter. Your comment was very appreciated!

Chapter 2

Fang P.O.V.

I couldn't find Max anywhere. I scoured the treetops expecting her to just pop out of them, but I didn't see her. Then I heard a voice. It had to be Max, it had that distinct tone quality in it. I headed in the direction I heard the voice from. Then I dived down through the trees and bam, I saw Max standing on a branch across from none other than Ari. What was he doing? Then I looked at what he was holding, a very big and lethal looking knife. That led me to the conclusion that whatever Ari was doing was _not_ good.

Ari's P.O.V.

Of all the terrible things that had to happen at this one moment, this was the worst! Fang just pops in out of nowhere and of course the situation seemed much worse than it actually was. He looked at the knife I was holding, then looked back at me with cold, vengeful eyes. He was probably thinking about the incident at the beach. Great, I was in no mood to be fighting Fang, and I had a feeling that he was totally going to lash out all his frustration at me. I looked at Max, she looked like she didn't know what to say or do. I guess she was at war with herself; stand up for the guy who tried to kill her and her flock many times or stand up for one of her flock members. Well it's pretty obvious what she chose. In about ten seconds Fang pounced on me and knocked me off my branch. Crap. If I open my wings all they're going to do is knock into trees and cause me more pain than falling 20 feet from the ground. Crash. I fell through multiple branches quickly as I approached the hard earth. BAM. I hit the ground so hard that I actually made a small indention in it.

Fang's P.O.V.

Ari. I can't believe him! He was about to attack Max with a knife! Well, I did want to get back at him for what he did to me at the beach. So, good luck Ari, you're going to need it. I was filled with rage and it wouldn't go away until I let it all out on Ari. In no time at all I watched his confused expression fade away as he made his way below the trees. BAM. I heard his crash and smiled, I hope it caused him a great deal of pain.

Ari's P.O.V.

Crap. I couldn't breathe. I got the wind knocked out of me and I was struggling to stand up when Fang came out of the trees at about forty miles an hour, right into me. My breath left in a whoosh and I fell back down onto the hard ground clutching my ribs.

Max's P.O.V.

GAH! I don't know what to do?! I can't let Fang beat up Ari for nothing. I mean the situation looked MUCH worse than it really was. He didn't _use _the knife, he was just holding it. Wait, why am I standing up for Ari? He's the one who's tracked and attacked us. He even sent Fang to the hospital. He really does deserve it, and I know Fang wouldn't kill him; he's not that kind of person. I think I'll just let Fang take whatever actions he planned then I'll be good. I sat down and listened. I couldn't hear anything. I listened again. Silence. Then Fang shot up out of the branches. "Are you okay?" I asked. I looked into his eyes. He hid all the emotion behind them. Although now they had some sort of hardness I had never seen in his eyes. "Yeah just fine." He said, not looking me in the eyes. "So, where's Ari?" I asked, curious how badly Fang had beaten him up. "Let's just say we'll never have to worry about him again, ever." He said, flashing me the fakest smile I've ever seen.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok so this chapter should be very...interesting. Who knew Fang had a violent side? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!

Chapter 3

Fang's P.O.V.

I didn't know how Max would react if I told her what happened between me and Ari, but she couldn't be upset over him because Ari was an enemy of the flock. There was no way I could have ever forgiven Ari for what he had done to the flock over the years. He wouldn't have stopped either. But now, unless a miracle happened and someone actually went by the place where Ari sat motionless and helped him, then we have one less threat to worry about.

Ari's P.O.V.

After Fang had kicked me in the ribs several times I couldn't quite catch my breath and I started to feel weak from lack of oxygen. The world around me started to become fuzzy and I wondered if I could actually stay conscious throughout the fight. Fang had soared up into the trees and vanished from sight. Crap. I thought. I took deep breaths trying to regain my composure. Come on pull yourself together, you've been in much worse situations before. I looked back up into the trees. I couldn't see anything so I concluded that the bird-kid must have gone up to the tree canopies. I slowly began stretching out my wings, making sure that they didn't hit any trees. Once they were at their full wingspan, and I was just about to surge up through the trees, Fang came straight down and before I could react, Fang had hit me feet first right between my wings, my sensitive spot. The skin split and blood trickled down my back as I unsuccessfully tried to fold my aching wings back in. Instead of folding themselves in, my wings fell limply to my sides. Then from behind me, Fang grabbed my wings, smacked them together, then he pushed them in opposite directions resulting in a loud crack in both of them. I almost screamed from the pain but I tried to endure it, so I groaned loudly. Before I could get up from my crumpled position on the ground, Fang kicked me in the head, but not hard enough to knock me out. My thoughts became fuzzy and I couldn't figure out what to do next. While my sluggish brain was trying to figure out what was going on, Fang grabbed the knife of the ground, and my heart stopped. _He was going to kill me! _I sat up straighter resulting in a loud and painful cracking in my ribs. I quickly clutched them. Then he drove the knife into my lower left side. A burst of burning pain exploded from the injury and blood began to stain my clothes. Then I looked up at Fang, as he lifted the knife up to hit me again.

Fang's P.O.V.

I had stabbed Ari. It felt wrong, but I had to. As I took the knife out he began to grow pale, not a lot, but a little. He quickly gasped for air and then looked at me with his red eyes. My eyes were cold and I knew I had to finish the job. I lifted the knife once more and aimed at his throat. _Crap I can't do this no matter what he's done to us._ I thought. My arm started to shake, but I don't think Ari could tell because _he_ was shaking. Then I drove the knife into his left shoulder instead of his throat. _Crap I missed!_ Although I missed, part of me was really glad that happened. Then I realized the knife was no longer in my blood-stained hands. Where is it? I must have dropped it, but I don't remember removing it from Ari's shoulder. My eyes swiveled over to his shoulder and the knife had gotten lodged in there, not only that, but I also had driven the knife into Ari's shoulder really hard, in fact so hard that it had gone through his shoulder and into the ground where he had been laying. Well, I may not have killed him now but probably in a few hours he'll bleed to death. I took a deep breath, spread my wings, took one last look at Ari's pained expression, and then took off into the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

So here's the new chapter and I hope you enjoy it.:)

Chapter 4

Max's P.O.V.

Fang, what happened? He didn't answer me. Fang, come on, it's not like you killed him right? Just tell me the epicness of how you kicked Ari's butt. He didn't look into my eyes, but he responded with, "Not yet." I almost gasped. What? So you mortally wounded him? Why? "Well, he was a threat to us." Fang responded. Would you like to be chased and attacked for the rest of your life? "Well, no." I said back feeling stupid. I mean at first when I thought of Ari, I thought of a little innocent boy with big pleading eyes, now that sweet image was replaced with a big, eraser with sharp teeth and huge claws. But still I couldn't imagine him being dead. "Max….MAX!" Huh? "Oh sorry Fang." I had been stuck in my thoughts. "You ready? The flock's waiting for us." Yeah.

Ari's P.O.V.

My shoulder was throbbing painfully and I felt sick to my stomach. I closed my eyes and tried not to think negatively, unfortunately I couldn't think of anything good. Great, now I'm in a really bad situation. I tried to sit up, but the knife lodged in my shoulder and the ground just sent a course of shocking pain back up my arm. "OW!" I said through gritted teeth. Well I'm not going to accomplish anything sitting here, so I have to get the knife out of the ground. I grabbed the handle of the knife with my right hand, took a deep breath and slowly pulled on it. "AAHHHH!" I screamed in pain as the knife left the ground but remained lodged in my arm. "GREAT!" I said sarcastically. All that did was open the wound even more, but at least I could get up now. I sat up quickly, and a sharp pain went through my body. I forgot that I had a gash, where Fang had stabbed me the first time, right under my broken left ribcage. I felt a wave of nausea pass through me and I quickly sucked in a deep breath, hoping it would help. Of course it didn't. I leaned over trying to keep in whatever I had eaten earlier, and closed my eyes. Don't puke, don't puke, don't puke. I repeated it in my mind over and over until my nausea had receded a bit. Then I opened my eyes and leaned back against a tree. I put my working hand, since my whole left arm including my hand weren't moving at all, on my injured side and looked up into the sky. It was a sunny, blue, and cloudless day. One of those days fathers and sons play baseball outside or just spend time together. I sighed. Why couldn't _I _spend time with my dad? After all I _am _seven. I got lost in my thoughts when my side suddenly lurched and I found myself throwing up all over the ground. Geez, I was trying to prevent this, because who knows when I'll get my next meal. I wiped my mouth with my hand expecting to see who knows what, when I realized I had thrown up _blood_. Blood?! Is that even possible? Now not only did I have a gash in my side, broken wings, broken ribs, and a knife in my shoulder, but now I was throwing up blood. What else could possibly go wrong?

Max's P.O.V.

As we took off into the sky I couldn't help but feel really guilty about the incident with Ari. I mean, I guess I shouldn't or maybe I should, but I just have mixed feelings for him. When I first knew him he was a little three-year old who followed his daddy everywhere like a little tail, and then the next time I saw him he was an eraser! I didn't know the whole back story behind that, but I do know that it _was _partly Jeb's fault because he left Ari behind, but Jeb had left with us! How could I forget about Ari! Whenever Jeb was with us, Ari was with us as well! Okay, I have stop with all the depressing thoughts. I snapped back into reality, and realized we were getting close to the cave I had picked out the night before. I wonder how Fang feels; after all he's the one who, I guess, _almost _killed Ari. We finally flew into the cave and were immediately greeted by four worried bird-kids and Total. "OH MY GOSH, WHERE WERE YOU GUYS!?" Asked Nudge. "Yeah we were starting to think erasers had taken you back to the school." Said Iggy. " No, we just ran into a small problem, but it's all taken care of _now_." Replied Fang.

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	5. Chapter 5

Ok guys, I'm really sorry it took me so long to update, but i've been insanely busy! This is also the longest chapter i've written so far so enjoy.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters.

Chapter 5

Max's P.O.V.

"No, we just ran into a small problem, but that's all taken care of now." Replied Fang. Everyone looked at Fang funny, then Iggy shrugged and walked back into the cave, and then the rest followed him. I walked in behind them, still feeling very guilty. I sat down and began thinking very deeply about what happened, when I felt a hand grasp mine. When I looked up I saw Angel looking at me with her big, emotional eyes. Crap, I forgot about Angel being able to read minds. Max, did Fang really kill Ari? The thought popped into my head. I don't know Angel, there's still the possibility that he's alive. I don't know how bad his condition is, or if he's as close to death as you can be, but he may still be alive.

Angel's P.O.V.

Max walked into the cave after the others and sat down by herself. She looked very worried. I wonder what she's thinking. I looked at her and began to read her mind. It was swimming with thoughts! I tried to sort through them and eventually, I found out that Fang and Ari had gotten into a fight, which Max hadn't seen, but she still knew the results. Max wasn't sure if Fang had actually _killed_ Ari. She didn't think he had the heart to do it. I sent a few thoughts to Max to try and confirm what I had just deciphered in her thoughts, and I was right. But I couldn't help feeling that she was hiding something from me. She couldn't be though; I've never been blocked out of someone's head before.

Fang's P.O.V.

The sky began to darken as storm clouds moved in. I looked up into the depressing shades of grey and wondered why I felt this way. I shouldn't feel this way about Ari because of everything he's done to us! But I couldn't help but feel guilty about what happened. I groaned. Right now he probably wishes he was dead because of all the pain he's in. Then again he is an eraser he can probably deal with it.

Ari's P.O.V.

Ugh. My body ached so much that about thirty minutes ago, I leaned against a large rock and decided to stay there for the night. I had been somewhat crawling, for a very long time, seeking shelter. Since I hadn't found anything, and since the sky had been darkening with rain clouds, I decided to take a break for the night on this rock. I looked at my blood and dirt covered hand, I wonder how bad I look. My left arm was hanging limply at my side and my right hand retreated back to my hurt side that was still gushing blood. Gosh, I was dying of thirst! _Breathe… ouch, ok, breathe in slower. _I took small but deep breaths as small rain droplets began to fall. Great, now I just have to hope that a really bad storm doesn't come. I looked up into the sky letting droplets fall into my eyes, burning and clouding my vision. Only after I realized that the rock I was leaning against was under a tree, I realized I was crying. "WHY IS MY LIFE ONLY PAIN AND LONELINESS!" I shouted into oblivion.

Max's P.O.V.

It had started raining a few minutes ago and I had been thinking over a really stupid and traitorous plan in my head. Thankfully Angel had been talking with Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, and Total. I was planning to go and, get this, _help Ari_. Why, because I felt like I need to. He's probably just lying somewhere waiting to die. If you knew someone before they turned evil, and had no idea why they even turned evil, you would know how I feel. He may be the enemy, but let me emphasize this, **_NO ONE DESERVES TO DIE LIKE THAT!_**Plus when you think about it, how would you like it if someone was going to die hating your guts and knowing that they hadn't done anything at the time? I couldn't leave it like that, I had to make things right, somehow. I had decided on a plan, even though there were _many_ flaws in it. I was planning to leave the cave once the flock had fallen asleep, and go out into the forest that me, Fang, and Ari had been in earlier. Once I was there I would look for Ari and….well I think I'll wing it from there. Of course I couldn't just leave the flock, so I had to come up with something so I wouldn't tell them what I was doing, yet it had to make sense. GRRRRRRR! _Come on brain think!_ I yelled into my head. _Why can't you just leave for Ari?_ Said the voice. Oh great. Well hello voice, long time no annoy. _Come on Max, I'm always here for you. _I sighed. Of course you are. I rolled my eyes hoping the voice could either see or know that I was doing it. And to answer your question, I can't just leave the flock for Ari! Are you kidding me! How could I do that? _Maybe because it's partly your fault he is either dead or dying right now._ The voice shot back at me. So, it's my fault!? Well it kind of was. Maybe if I had explained to Fang what was happening, he might not have gone so overboard. But I would have been protecting Ari, which was just weird. We were enemies, we were on different sides, we were working for different goals, how could I side with him_!? You're wasting time, Maximum, if you are going to go and help him, you best prepare yourself. _Tch. Yeah, and you were totally not distracting me. Just go away voice; I don't need you right now. I stood up from where I was sitting and looked out of the cave entrance. It had begun to pour and the sky was very dark. I turned on my heel and walked in to where everyone else was. "You guys hungry?" I asked. "What kind of question is that?" Iggy asked, "We're always hungry!" "Yeah, I'm starving!" agreed Nudge. OK, OK I get the message. I said as Gazzy opened his mouth to make a snide remark. I went over to one of our many backpacks and took out some cans of ravioli. I tossed one to everyone (Including Total) and they began eating. Once I opened mine, I began to shovel it down. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I scraped the bottom with my spoon and then I threw the can on top of the pile of other cans that had been thrown there. After we ate, we laughed and talked about anything and everything. It felt like those times we had with Jeb, of course, now Jeb was a lying traitor, but we didn't need him. Ok guys, it's getting late I think it's time to hit the hay. I gave them an I-dare-you-to-ask-me-to-stay-up-any-longer look and then they all walked to their own little spots in the cave and went to bed. I found myself a spot and laid down on it. I laid there for who knows how long, and then once I heard their breathing slow, I slowly sat up. I got up and lightly tiptoed over to the backpack I had set up while I was getting dinner. I had packed it with enough food for me and Ari, as long as we rationed it. I slung it over my shoulder then I tiptoed past everyone. Just as I was about to unfurl my wings, a voice said, "So, your leaving without telling us?" My heart fell down to my stomach. It was Fang. Look Fang, it's not easy to explain, but- "You're leaving to find Ari, aren't you?" Y-yeah. I don't think we did the right thing back there. "Do you even hear yourself, Max?" "You're standing up for someone who was trying to kill you!" I know. But that doesn't mean we have to do the same to him. I couldn't tell if Fang was shocked, because he sure didn't show it. "What?" Fang asked. "He wouldn't hesitate to kill you! And yet you think if you just show up now and try to help him he isn't going to hurt you?" He's hurt himself! I retorted. "So what? Do you think he cares? Erasers were trained to make it through _anything_!" Well, in case you don't remember he hasn't always been an eraser. He wasn't trained to kill ever since he was born, and even he's not invincible! "Well, if you're so determined to go and help him, then go!" Fine, I will! I yelled back at him. I turned around, unfurled my wings, and took off.

I thought Fang would be a little more understanding. I thought he might even help me out here. I sighed. Ok, just forget about that right now and focus on your mission. Find Ari. I finally reached the forest where terrible things had happened. I couldn't remember the exact location. Crap. Oh well, I'll just fly down and see if I can figure out where I am. I dropped down into the trees and landed on the ground. I looked at my surroundings. Everything looked unfamiliar. I walked a little further in and I noticed some broken tree branches. I scanned the bark for claw marks, but found none. My eyes followed a branch that had snapped and was hanging from the tree helplessly. My eyes froze on the ground; there was an indention and, blood?

Ari's P.O.V.

Before it had started pouring, I decided to seek better shelter. I got on all fours, (in my case all threes, because of my arm) and limped/crawled to find a place to stay, as I slowly lost more and more blood I became dizzy. I had to stop frequently and regain my composure before continuing. I kept at this for a long time before I began to cough up blood again. After that I decided to take a longer break, as in a many hour break. I was dehydrated, dizzy from blood loss, and hungry. I obviously didn't have any food with me and hunting was out of the question. All I saw was trees, bushes, and grass. Well, I might as well become a vegetarian. I had to eat something, to keep me going. I reached down and pulled out a handful of green, leafy grass. I looked at it wishing it was anything other than grass, and then I closed my eyes still imagining that it was some other food, then I shoved it in my mouth. Bleh! It tasted terrible, yet I still managed to swallow it. Ok, that's enough of that. I decided to continue crawling instead of staying there for the night, because it began to rain harder and that wasn't the best spot to stay. I crawled painfully for a while, until my body shut down and I was lying face first in the ground. When I finally regained consciousness, I had a killer headache and I was _soaking wet_ from laying in the rain, for however long I had been knocked out. I didn't know what to do anymore. There really was nothing I could do. Erasers wouldn't be sent out for me and this was a forest, so there's no one here but _me_. I sighed. All I was doing was waiting for my death. It would be slow and _very _painful. Ok, I give up on _everything_! I flopped onto the muddy ground as tears welled in my eyes. My life was over. I wasn't even going to be eight. Furious tears fell from my eyes and slid down my cheeks. Thank goodness I was alone, _nobody_, and I mean _nobody_ could see me like this. I _never_ cried. At least the rain washed it all away. As I played there in the rain awaiting my death, I thought about my life, how it was short, how I never had a friend, how I was an eraser, and how I hunted the flock. I regretted that a _lot_. They hated me, but most importantly, _Max_ hated me. She was just so amazing. She had everything that I so desperately wanted. My father, friends, love. She had so much. All I had was constant pain. Nagging at me every week, every day, every hour, every minute, every second. It never left, and right now I had even more pain. I sighed again. I deserve it though. I've done so many terrible things throughout my seven years. Why couldn't I just have a normal life? I sobbed harder letting all my emotion out that I had kept in all my life. After a while I had drifted asleep, falling into a world without pain, without hurt, without loneliness, just whiteness…

Max's P.O.V.

Oh gosh, I had found blood. I'm pretty sure that it belongs to Ari. I walked over to the pool of blood. Hmm? What's this? I had found a thick trail of blood leading farther into the forest. Yep, this is Ari, he never knows when to quit. Even if he's wounded, he'll still get up and move. I began following the trail and at some places there were bigger pools of blood, he must have taken breaks. I kept following the trail for a_ really_ long time. Geez, erasers have a lot of blood. Then the trail ended. What in the world? He's not here. NO, way. He couldn't have flown out of here; Fang wouldn't leave him with a means of escape like that. Well I'll just walk a little further in the direction that the trail ended in, and maybe I'll come across him, if I'm lucky. I began walking in the direction where the trail had ended. I brushed by trees, bushes, and rocks, but still no Ari. Ugh, how am I going to find him? I'm soaking wet, cold, and…why am I complaining? I sighed. Ok, back to the search. I walked further in and noticed little pools of blood that were almost completely washed away by the rain. They seemed to be headed in a different direction now. I followed them quickly. I was losing time. The pools went straight through some very tall and wide bushes, which took up almost all of the clearing. I walked through them, slowly, so that I wouldn't get snagged in them. When I finally got through them, my heart stopped. I had found Ari, but he was laying on the ground not moving at all, I couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

I hope you liked it! **_Please review!_** And I'd like to thank** Midnight-Rose4563**, **4ever-A-Nightmare**, and **GirLover158** for reviewing. Thank you so much, you guys really motivate me to keep writing!


	6. Chapter 6

Enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW! Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. :(

Chapter 6

Max's P.O.V.

"Ari?" I said loudly. He didn't stir. "Ari!" I yelled very loudly. Oh god. No. Please, no. I looked at him, the moonlight and rain made his wounds glisten. He looked very pale and had a pained expression on his face. His eyes were closed and he had, tear streaks? Or was it rain drops that had fallen onto his face? I walked a little closer to him. He still didn't move. I walked up to him and kneeled down. I put two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. I FOUND ONE! But it was very slow. It didn't matter; the fact that he wasn't dead was good enough for me. Now what was I supposed to do? I wasn't a doctor. I hadn't thought this all the way through. _If you want to help him, you need to find out what's wrong with him first. _Said the annoying, yet kind of helpful voice. Well it's pretty obvious. I looked at him again, examining his many wounds. His left shoulder had the knife, which he had been holding earlier, stuck in it; he had another cut in his left side, and it looked like his wings were broken. I didn't know if he had any internal injuries though. Crap, the voice was right, I did need to find out what was wrong with him, and the only way I could think of finding that information was by actually asking him. _See, I can help you._ Said the voice almost smugly. "Shut up." I said back into my mind. Ok, how was I going to do this? I bit my lip. I would have to bring him back to consciousness, but how? I could shake his non-injured shoulder, but what if he attacks me? If I was woken up at night, in the middle of the forest, injured, I would probably lash out at whoever was there. Plus he was an eraser so; he was probably trained to do that. Well I had to something, maybe I could through a rock at him. It's from a distance and…...…. Oh geez, I'm so cruel. I was planning to throw a rock at an injured seven year old. Wow, that sounded really harsh when you put it that way, but you had to add in a few other factors, like he wasn't just a little seven year old, he was really tall, really strong, half wolf, and I think he hates me, but I'm not so sure about that due to recent events. _You're wasting time Maximum._ The voice shot at me. "Yeah, yeah I'm sorry for trying to think things through." I said sarcastically. Well, I think I'll just shake his shoulder and hope he doesn't kill me. I took a deep breath. Then I reached my hand out and carefully placed it in his shoulder. I can't do this. _Yes you can, remember your helping him. _Replied the voice. Ok, I blame you if I die though. I gently shook his shoulder, and was really shocked when he didn't stir. Wow, and I thought my gentle touch was rough. I shook his shoulder a little harder; nothing. I didn't want to resort to this, but I had to be much more rough to bring him back. I shook his shoulder almost violently. This time his eyes fluttered open in shock and he became even paler, (if that was even possible) when he realized it was me. "Max?" he said in a really hoarse and strained voice.

Thank you for reviewing I appreciate everything! :D


	7. Chapter 7

Alright guys I wasn't really sure how this chapter turned out so please tell me and enjoy!

Chapter 7

Ari's P.O.V.

I was woken by a jolting shake from my shoulder, and when I opened my eyes I was shocked to see Max. What was she doing here? "Max?" I said in a helpless tone, I hated

how I sounded so vulnerable. She looked at me with a worried expression. "Ari, I know you're probably confused and maybe even angry with me, but let me attempt at

explaining." After she told me about, well everything, I didn't know what to say. She told me about the flock, about herself, about Fang, about Jeb, and she even told me

about her past experiences with me and the erasers. I sat there and listened intently the whole time, not saying a word. I nodded in understanding here and there, but that

was it. As she was nearing the end of her explanation my vision began to blur. I blinked furiously trying to fix my vision, but it didn't help at all. I was finally getting a chance

to hear Max talking to me in a nice and calm tone, and of course something had to ruin it. (In this case I couldn't look her in the eyes because I couldn't see out of mine.) I

didn't know if I was looking her in the eyes, but I sure was attempting to. "Ari, is something wrong?" she asked. "No, why do you ask?" I replied half-heartedly. "You're not

looking at me, your focusing and nodding at that tree." Yep, I knew I wasn't looking at her. When I didn't answer her, she came up close to me, and looked straight into my

eyes. "Ari seriously, talk." She said in a strong tone. "I need to know how I can help you." "I can tell you have an injury in your side, a knife in your shoulder, and I think your

wings are broken, but I can't be sure about anything without _you_ actually telling me." I sighed. "Well, I'm not really sure what's wrong with me." I replied feeling stupid.

"Then to make things simple, where does it hurt?" Max asked. I wanted to say everywhere, but I knew she would ask me to be more specific. "Well, my shoulder hurts the

worst, then it would be my side, then my wings, then….." I paused in the middle of my sentence unable to breathe. "Ari?!" Max exclaimed. I gasped for air and began to

wheeze. I doubled over as Max ran up to me and grasped my uninjured shoulder. I continued to wheeze, then I started coughing uncontrollably. It was a mix of wheezing,

coughing, and gasping. I put my hand over my mouth and coughed twice as hard as I had been coughing. I coughed so much that my throat felt like it was on fire, but I

couldn't stop. I coughed for several minutes, while Max patted my back trying to help me stop. My hand felt strangely warm and wet. I didn't care though I was trying to stop

myself from coughing. In the middle of my cough attack, Max gasped and said, "Ari your hand is bleeding!" I couldn't look at my hand at the moment, but as soon as I could

at least slow down my coughing I would take a look at it. After several more minutes my coughing began to slow down, I could actually take a breath. I slowed down my

breathing and took a few deep breathes. Ok now I could look at my hand. I removed my hand from my mouth then I flipped it over, several drops of blood ran down my hand

and onto my arm, but there was no wound there. I looked at my hand thinking about what the heck just happened, when I remembered that I had thrown up blood earlier. I

wiped my bloody hand off my pants then touched my lips and examined my hand again. A fresh line of blood was on my hand where I had swiped it across my lips. Crap, not

again, but that time I didn't really _throw_ it up, I _coughed_ it up. "Um, Ari, is this the other thing you were going to tell me about?" Max asked. "Yeah." I replied. She tilted her

head in concentration, then when she had reached a solution to whatever she was thinking about, she looked at me. "I know this is going to seem weird, but I, um, need to

check something." "What do you mean?" I asked. "I thought about some reasons why you might be coughing up blood, and one of them was that your ribs may have crushed

your lungs, or it may have something to do with the knife puncture in your side." She said. "So what do you need me to do?" I asked feeling stupid once more. "I just need

you to lay down so I can feel your ribs." She said. "Um, ok." I said awkwardly. I put my right arm underneath me and slowly let myself down. Max walked over to me and

then sat on her knees. Then she lifted her hands and slowly lowered them onto my ribs, not putting any pressure on them. "Alright, I'm going to press on them a little so, you

may feel some pain." She said. She pressed on my ribs and slowly shifted from rib to rib. When she moved over to my left rib cage I felt a wave of pain wash over me. She

kept pressing on them as she had for my right side, until she looked at my face with concern again. I had closed my eyes, and I was struggling to breathe again. I felt

something trickle out of my mouth, but I still kept my eyes closed. "Ok, I think that's enough." She said. "I'm causing you too much pain." "No, it's ok, I've been through

worse." I told her, hoping she couldn't tell I was lying.

Max's P.O.V.

As I went down Ari's left ribcage, he tensed up and closed his eyes. This was his hurt side. When I pressed on the some of the ribs I could feel them move. They were broken

and that's why it hurt him. I looked up at his pained face, and noticed that there was blood running from his mouth. Well, maybe his ribs are crushing his lungs. "Ok, I think

that's enough." I said. "I'm causing you too much pain. I felt bad for hurting him more, but I had to check to see if my theory was correct. "No, it's ok, I've been through

worse." Ari said. "Ari, come on, I'm a pro at lying; you're going to have to do better than that to convince me." He didn't answer me; he just looked at the ground. "You

know, it's ok to admit you're not invincible." I said. "Yeah, I know but,…. I should be stronger than this." He said the last part in a whisper. "I'm an eraser after all." He said

looking at the ground. I felt really sorry for him. "Ari, you're just a kid, don't be so hard on yourself." "How can I not be!?" he growled. "My whole life has been a test; I don't

even have a life." "That's not true!" I retorted determined to change his view on things, but before I could say another word he said, "Think about it, and name one person

who would care if I was gone." I was speechless. Here I was trying to convince Ari, the little boy who was changed into an eraser, the boy who had no future, the boy who

was left behind. "Exactly." Ari said, his eyes full of hurt. "Nobody cares…" I couldn't believe this, I didn't know how torn up Ari was on the inside. "I care." I said. "No offense

Max, but how can you forgive me after everything I've done to you and your flock?" Ari said. "I can forgive you because you really didn't understand what you were doing." I

replied. "They turned you into an eraser and basically after that, they had you do all the dirty work." "Plus you probably didn't like us because we left with your father."

"Please Ari; just know in your heart that I really do forgive you." He didn't answer me but he looked at me with an expression that read, "I definitely deserve this." I sighed.

I'll definitely be trying to help him psychologically as well. He sighed then leaned back against a tree. "Hey are you hungry?" I asked feeling hungry myself. "Not really, I feel

really light headed and nauseous." He responded. "That's probably because you're hungry." I said with a smile. Then I walked over to the backpack I brought with me and

took out some crackers. "It's not much, but here." I said as I held them out in my hand for him to take. He shook his head. "No it's okay you go ahead, I don't feel like

eating." "You need to eat something, Ari." I said feeling very motherly for some reason. "Your body has a lot of healing to do, and you'll need energy too." I extended my arm

out further. He didn't take it and the rain was starting to make them soggy, so I walked over to him, took his uninjured hand, placed the crackers in it, closed his fingers

around them, then sat down next to him and ate mine. He looked shocked that I actually touched him, as if he were so repulsive that I couldn't stand him or something.

"What?" I asked. "Nothing." He quickly answered, then turned away from me. After a while I finished my crackers, and I got Ari to eat _one_. (It's a start) It was really late and

we needed some rest. Tomorrow I was going to try and fix up Ari's wounds. I had been looking up at the stars for a long time and now I was going to tell Ari to go to sleep.

"Ari." Silence. "Ari?" No answer. I turned in his direction and saw his silhouette against the tree. So now he was ignoring me? I sighed. Wait, I don't think he's ignoring me. I

walked quietly over to where he was leaning against the tree and waved my hand in front of his face a few times. He didn't move. Then I remembered how his eyes glowed in

the dark when you looked at them at a certain angle. There was no light coming from his eyes, and his breathing was slow and relaxed. He fell asleep. Poor Ari. He needs to

be lying down though; it would take a load off his side and his shoulder. I gently slid him off the tree and supported him until I gently placed him on the soft earth. He looked

so peaceful. I hope he's not in pain when he's sleeping. I laid down a few feet away from him and fell into a deep slumber.

I hope you enjoyed it and please REVIEW!


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